


Instinct Of Survival

by orphan_account



Category: Elyza Lex (Fanverse), Fear the Walking Dead (TV), The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, F/F, F/M, Other
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-14
Updated: 2017-08-03
Packaged: 2018-12-02 02:54:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11500296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: All that Alicia Clark wants is to run away from her family, be free and build her perfect kind of future.Then the zombie apocalypse hits and that's the end of it.Is all her hope vanished? Sure. Can she regain it? Not so sure. Will she try? Maybe. Will she need help? This is a question that shall be answered as soon as she figures out which way to go....Warning for lots of mistakes and updates at snail's pace.





	1. The World We Know

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything sort of goes down. (If that hasn't already happened)

_L.A., California_  
_Alicia Clark_  
_17 years old high school student_

* * *

> **Monday,** **6:** **37 a.m.** **<**

Alicia hasn't been able to sleep for a few good hours. The reason why? She didn't know it herself. So what was the point of laying awake in the bed and doing nothing? She got up, deciding she'd better take a shower. A really long shower. Medicine for mind and body - that's certain. Once in the bathroom, the girl found herself looking in the mirror. She saw the same bright green eyes and long dark brown hair cascading over her shoulders. But she felt different. She stepped inside the shower cabin and started the water which was now trailing on her skin, sending her cool chills down her body. Refreshing.

Her reverie was interrupted by her mother when she barged in without knocking.  
"Five more minutes, 'Licia!", the woman shouted.  
"Did I say 'come in'? Jesus, mom!", the brunette yelled back, though the door was already shut the moment she acknowledged what was happening.  
_'When did the time fly so fast?'_ , she asked herself, having no clue about how long she had been there.  
Dressed up in some casual school clothes, the young Clark headed to the front door where her mother's boyfriend, Travis, was waiting along with her.  
"Breakfast to go.", her mom announced as she handed her a small paper bag. "Let's go."  
The trio rushed, practically ran, towards the car. Travis shoved the keys out of his jacket's pocket and brought the engine to life which roared angrily and made the car move in no time.  
From the backseat, Alicia was waiting impatiently to arrive at school. She wanted to spend as little of a time with her mother as she could manage. Also, she was dying to see Matt, her own boyfriend, who has been in a crazy long family trip these days.  
The second the truck was parked, the Californian almost jumped out of it and runned past the crowd of students, trying to reach with her gaze the school's entrance. The brunette could hear her mom screaming to her to loosen her pace, which Alicia did. Only after she saw herself in front of the doors.  
"Why did you run like that?", Travis asked, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.  
"Wanted to get here faster.", the girl replied nonchalantly with a shrug.  
The truth was she wanted to escape the sugar coated greetings of the other students'. Also, she wasn't in the mood for the oddly normal awkward silence her mother would feed her or the sympathetic glances she'd receive from Travis when even him would get how much her mom annoys her sometimes. Most of the time, actually.  
The brown haired girl scanned the hallway for Matt, but she couldn't get sight of him. She went wherever she had classes eventually, the sound of the school bell ring filling her ears.  
_'That's weird... he usually tells me when he doesn't come at school.'_ , the green eyed girl thought, fastening her pace. _'I'll visit him after classes.'_ , she decided.  


 

* * *

> **12:19 p.m.** **<**

The classes went on awfully slow. In the English class she couldn't take it anymore, even though the teacher was Travis himself. Which, honestly, was both a good and a bad thing. At long last, the brunette got lost in her boredom and her mind drifted away from reality. She daydreamed about a sunny day in the forest, running like a child in the leaves. The smell of ocean and its calming blue, the feeling of sand under her feet, face sun kissed by warm rays. Oh, how she wanted to continue her little fantasy...  
Unfortunately (or fortunately - _somehow_ ), the principal - Madison Clark, her mother - stormed into the classroom.  
"Sorry for interrupting the class, Mr. Manawa.", then she addressed to the students, "School's demised this week, kids. Go home."  
"Why? What happened?", a boy from the front of the class asked.  
"We were told there's a virus in the city. I know nothing more.", the principal confessed.  
Not needing to be told to go home once again, everybody picked up their backpacks with a goofy smile, happy to escape from the imaginary cage they figured out school would perfectly describe.  
Right before Madison left, she shot Alicia a meaningful look.  
Exactly when the girl stepped out from the classroom, she was pulled away by her mom who grabbed her wrist tightly.  
"I need you to go home and take care of your brother - he had an accident. The doctor told me he had said something about the living dead attacking him. He thinks he's delusional... ", the woman explained hurriedly.  
"It's not as if I have a choice", the young Clark muttered under her breath, rolling her eyes in the process and turning to the exit door.  
"Look, 'Licia, I don't want to argue with you so, _please_ , just go home and _be safe_."  
Alicia didn't reply, but also didn't try to deepen the wound she provoked so she only made her way out of the building and headed to the station where a bus full of children was waiting. She got on it, while plugging her earpods. Music was the first thing that came into her mind when she thought about chilling a little. She felt _so_ tense. Maybe because of the stress... who knows?

* * *

> **12:52 p.m.** **<**

After a few minutes of walking from the closest bus station to her house, where the driver left her and some kids, she finally found herself standing still in the front of the main door. Slowly opening the door, as if she was afraid of breaking it, the brunette felt herself letting her eyes fix themselves on a small coffee table from the living room which seemed to be thrown by someone. A chair was in the same state as the other furniture piece. She remembered hiding her butterfly knife she had got from her father - the single thing that kept him in her memory - under the couch. After a moment of searching, she sticked out her arm that grabbed the knife at dear life.  
Alicia headed upstairs, where she let her gaze drop on her big brother, Nick, who was collapsing on the floor.  
"No, no, no, don't you dare do this to me, you stupid son of a bitch! Hear me?!", the brunette shouted rather sharply.  
"Water... water...", the boy murmured.  
"Take this!", Alicia offered as she poured into his mouth some of the liquid.  
"Thanks...", came out his raspy voice.  
"I hate you", the brunette confessed on a defetead tone like she wasn't able to contain the information in her for too long.  
"I know.", Nick told her, "I know."  
"I'm gonna see Matt.", the girl said breaking the silence that fell over them after a while.  
"No, 'Licia! He'll hurt you!", her big brother jumped up like burned.  
"Shut the fuck up, Nick!", Alicia growled at him, "Matt would never hurt me."  
"No, you don't understand! He'll kill you! He'll...", he tried to explain.  
"Actually, this is really _funny_ to hear from you. _You_ 're the one who _hurt_ me all my life - _still_ _does_ \- and yet, here _you_ are telling me _I_ shouldn't see my boyfriend because he'll _kill_ me!", the young Clark deadpanned, "Do you hear yourself, you _crazy_ drug junkie?!", Alicia said, venom dripping on her words.  
Without waiting for an answer, she sprinted out of the house and ran as fast as she could, holding angrily her weapon. The destination was simple - Matt's house. Whatever the Heck would happen there too is not her concern. _Momentarily_.


	2. New Rule: No Rules

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Apocalypse changes people.

> **13:24 p.m.** **<**  
A few streets away, out of breath, she reached her boyfriend's house's doorknob and came in, silently praying his parents weren't home and didn't see her running with a knife towards their house so she could hide it at the hem of her pants. That would've been a Hell of a impression.

"Hello?", her voice echoed through the building.

"Here!", she heard a weak call, but followed it anyways.

"Alicia?", the boy asked as if he thought he was seeing a mirage.

The girl could only nod in response, not trusting her voice.

The image of a sick Matt covered in sweat sent a fearful shiver down her spine, while a piercing pain made its way in the core of her soul. She has never seen somebody as ill as him in her entire life so the conclusion was pretty easy to make. He was _dying_.

"Wha-what happened?", Alicia asked quietly, still feeling the shock through her body, sitting down and grabbing his right hand.

"Gus... a guy from my art class... wanted me to... help him with some drawing tips... later, when we met... he bitted me and I ran.", he explained between heavy breaths.

"Alicia, you have to listen to me, okay?", the dark skinned boy added determinately.

"Okay...", the brunette confirmed, not so sure about the following words.

"You're not safe here. You gotta go.''

"That's _bullshit_!", the girl screamed out of control, tears threatening to fall, "I'm _not_ leaving you! I love you for God's sake!"

"I love you too, Alicia. That's why you gotta go. Fine?"

"Fine.", the green eyed girl approved weakly.

A small smile tugged at Matt's lips.

"Go, Alicia! Go!", he said as loud as he could.

The brunette managed to nod a few times and to threw a last glance at his feverish figure.

She exited the house, breathing in the air like her lungs haven't been working all this time.  
She once had somewhere to go.  
She once had someone to love.  
Now, all of it was gone.

Just _gone_.

* * *

> **13:35 p.m.** **<**

In school, she was always an A+ student, always working hard for her grades so she could get to a good university. And she did. Going to Berkeley would have been her ticket to freedom. Away from her dysfunctional family. She could've even started her dream life with Matt. Then the virus happened. Still, she didn't know of what was it capable. She had a bad feeling about finding out the reason too soon so Alicia started to be grateful of still being in mist. Of not knowing the worst part just yet. _'Screw the gratefulness!'_ , she thought while kicking some rocks from the road out of anger.

"No matter if I actually _try_ to survive, I'll get dead. Why bother anymore?", she told herself aloud.

The Californian fell to her knees, letting out heavy sobs. She screamed until her lungs gave up. Warm tears were falling furiously on her now reddish cheeks. Shuting her eyes tightly, the girl made herself think of any reason she shouldn't end this roller coaster right there and then. _'Guess what? You don't have any!',_ the voice from the back of her head told her. Her mother had Nick, the only person she has ever cared about, so why go back if you're invisible anyways?

The brunette remembered about her butterfly knife, desire to accomplish something sparkling in her eyes.

She pulled it out of her pocket and led it to her forearm. Her whole body was shaking, her bile rising in her throat. Taking deep breaths, the girl pushed the sharp edge of the knife in her smooth skin. Dark red blood began pouring out and Alicia hissed in the new found pain. At least, that was psychical.

Her ritual was interrupted by a high pitched scream coming from the neighborhood.

The vision before her was occupied by a mortifying scene. A child about ten years old was attacked by a growling man. The teenager cropped a small piece of her flannel shirt and put it around her wound and then rushed with her _"weapon"_ to the _creature_. She pushed her knife in its head, but not before it could sank its teeth in the child's flesh who screamed at the harsh contact. The girl kicked the monster off the kid and threw him a few metres away.

"Hey, hey", she tried to calm down the little tearing boy. "Don't be afraid. It's okay."

The golden haired boy rose his eyes from the ground and met Alicia's stare.

"No, it's not _okay_.", he stated flatly.

The brunette raised a brow confusely.

"I was bitten. I'm gonna turn in one of them.", he explained.

"Let's make the most of it, shall we?", the green eyed girl suggested, her eyes starting to water once again, her voice breaking a little at the end.

"My name is Aiden. What's yours?", he sent her a friendly grin in reward for her attempt.

"Alicia.", the Californian girl answered with a watery smile. "Nice to meet you, Aiden."

"You, too.", the boy's grin growing even wider, though the pain was kind of unbearable.

"My mom used to tell me a bed time story every night before I'd fall asleep.", Aiden confessed, his voice small, "Could you tell me one?", his blue pools shining with hope.

"Sure, kid.", then Alicia started, "There was this princess who did everything for her people and, one day, she met the Commander of the kingdoms."

"She fell in love with this Commander, didn't she?", Aiden questioned weakly as the fever overwhelmed him step by step.

"Well, the two had the same purpose - protecting their people. Both surprinsgly stubborn and selfless. So, yes, after years and years of denial, they finally got together and lived their life leading their people to peace."

By the time she ended the story, the blonde boy slipped conscious once and forever.

"Your fight is over, Aiden.", Alicia murmured heartbrokenly, "I'm sorry it went out like that."

She rose to her feet and headed forward, only that an infected got her first. Kicking with all her force, the brunette tried to fight it, reaching to use her knife. The idea was in vain, though. The infected continued the attempt to bite her.

The moment her world went to black, all she could make out was a golden flash of hair and a loud _'thud'_ accompanying the fall of the zombie's body.


	3. Better On My Own (Yeah, Good Joke)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Someone new (not exactly) comes aboard.

> **14:46 p.m.** **<**  
Alicia woke up in the confines of a foreign bed. A title of a newspaper on the nightstand caught her eye - _"THE MAN WHO SURVIVED MULTIPLE LETHAL GUNSHOTS WAS BROUGHT DOWN BY A HEADSHOT LAST EVENING"_

"Easy peasy lemon squeezy, rule's simple - aim for the damn head.", a raspy voice came from behind. The brunette fetched the lamp and turned to face the person.

"Whoa, calm down, princess! I'm not gonna hurt you.", the blonde woman with a black leather jacket assured her.

"Who are you? Where am I?", the girl shouted at the woman before her.

"I'm the idiot who brought you here 'cause ya fainted while kickin' some zombie ass and hit your head in the process.", then she added more calmly when she saw that the girl put the lamp down, "What do ya remember before blackin' out?"

"I remember a small boy who was bitten and I killed the infected that did it. Then, I talked to him until he...", Alicia replied on a shaky voice.

"It's OK. You did what had to be done.", the blonde said, "But that doesn't explain why you've got that binding."

" _Oh_...", the brunette sighed loudly, closing her moss eyes.

"Suicide attempt.", she told her eventually.

"If you think I'm gonna judge you or somethin', I'm not. Just so you know, I thought 'bout it, too. World's a bit overwhelming, dontcha think?"

"Alicia.", the girl said quietly.

"Excuse me?", the other raised an eyebrow in question.

"My name.", Alicia clarified.

"Oh!", revelation washing upon the stranger's face, "Elyza. Elyza Lex."

"Lemme see your 'suicide attempt'.'', she added, pointing with her chin the makeshift bandage while mocking her answer.

In response, the brunette only narrowed her eyes at the offer, asking wordlessly for a justification, letting the cynical replica pass.

"I was a med student before everythin' went to shit.", the woman vindicated.

The girl rolled up her sleeve and removed the piece of cloth from her left forearm while

Elyza brought some real bandages.

"Let's clean it before it gets infected", she proposed.

Alicia extended her arm on the blonde's lap who was analyzing the damage.

She let out a hiss and the blue eyed girl asked, "Hurts?", to which the Californian replied sternly, "I'll live."

"What made you do it?", Elyza murmured under her breath, loud enough so the girl next to her would hear, though, "Hope I'm not crossin' the line... ", she added when Alicia frowned.

"No. It's fine. I guess... I just wanted to end the pain... I lost my boyfriend because of the disease...", the brunette confessed, her moss pools watering.

"If it makes it any better, I lost someone special to me, too."

"Yeah?", Alicia questioned, "Who was?"

"His name was Aiden.", the blonde voiced her own suffering, "Tom, my boyfriend, insisted to take care of him while I was going on a supply run. When I came back, the house was overrun.", she took a deep breath,  remembering the exact image she has found that day then continued, "Tom's body was laying on the floor all bitten and Aiden was nowhere to be found. Figures what happened."

The name rang through Alicia's ears, lightening a bulb in her mind. Aiden - the child she met - was Elyza's brother. She knew what was the girl's brother's fate.

_'I owe her that_ _much for saving my life..._ _'_

"Somethin' wrong?", she heard Elyza ask cautiously.

"The body from behind - when you saved me - ", the girl explained breathlessly, "I am...", she tried to say an explanation. As much as she wanted to comfort Elyza, she felt her throat close up, not letting her form any words.

Revelation hit the blonde's confused face like a train, making it fall for a brief second.

"No, no, no...", was the her shocked response, though she didn't let any sign of heartbreak show on her face, choosing to stand up instead.

"Tell me if you experience any kind of pain with your arm.", she advised the other codly before leaving Alicia alone with the darkness of the room.

* * *

 > **22:27 p.m.** **<**

Later that day, Alicia found herself laying on a couch. She observed the blonde's jacket covering her so she instantly relaxed.  
"Slept well?"

_'Thinking about the Devil...'_ , the brunette contemplated, a half-smile breaking her on her face, but fell as quick as it came at the sight of the blond haired girl's face which was all red and puffy from crying.

"Um, yeah..."

_'You don't look like you slept too much'_ , the brunette wanted to add, but decided to go by "How about you?"

"Me? Didn't sleep at all.", the woman revealed,

"Someone had to watch the house, right?"

"Makes sense...", the Californian muttered.

"I've never had the chance to ask you", Alicia started, "how far away are we from L.A.?"

"Well...", the blonde said while scratching the back of her neck, "we're in Santa Monica. Why?"

"Nothing important.", the girl shoved off the subject, "where are we heading?"

" _We_?", the other asked, seeming a bit perplexed.

"You're not planing on taking me with you?", Alicia conlusionated.

"I am.", Elyza answered with determination,

"Just a lil' surprised you offered up like that."

"So, next destination, cap?", the teenager asked one more time.

"San Diego.", the blonde said as she reached for a nearby map. "From there we'll take a boat and head to Catalina Island. We'll be safe there."

"You sure about that? Nowhere is _near_ the concept of safety in this world right now.", the girl pointed out.

"Am pretty sure we'll be _safer_ , if's enough to ya.",

"It is.", Alicia agreed, "When we're leaving?"

"Hate to be a party pooper, but as soon as we get rid of those infected 'round the house we'll _actually_ be able to start movin'.", the blonde announced.

This being said, a few moans and growls made their way past the thick walls.

"Seems like tomorrow will be a long day from what I hear.", Alicia responsed more quietly.

"Better be retreatin' to our rooms now. Don't wanna faint in the middle of the horde 'cause of the lack of sleepin'.", Elyza offered and the brunette approved the idea with a sharp nod, though she might not need that nap at all, considering her being asleep most of the day because of the wound. In sleep, she couldn't feel the pain and that was the most logical solution she had got at the time so she just followed the other upstairs.

* * *

> **Tuesday, 7:03 a.m** **.** **<**

She didn't remember much after being left in a room and half-awake in a queen sized bed.

She never was such a fast asleep and she was sure that the world being turned upside down or the space the bed provided didn't change this particular characteristic. The brunette wasn't entirely sure why she put so much trust in the Aussie girl. (Yeah, she noticed the accent and that was damn right Australian.) She had two options: first, going back to her family and be judged for her stupid actions and secondly, stick out with the blonde. The choice wasn't hard to do.

Alicia knew all too well how the life carrying on with her family would be. She always wanted to be on her own so she didn't blame herself for choosing a stranger over blood.

That was her plan - to be _alone_ \- after all. She had been and still was at the end of the important people for her _own_ family. Better be _forgotten_ than being there and blocked away all the time.

_'Sounds like a plan.'_ , the green eyed girl concluded for herself.

* * *

 > **7:46 a.m.** **<**

"Hey, sleepy head...", she heard Elyza's voice alternating with gentle rubs on her back, "c'mon, wake up, Alicia...", and yet here she was at the edge of sleeping - still not able to open her eyes. "We gotta go. Walkers everywhere 'round the house. Road won't get clean by itself."

As if that sentence flipped on a switch, she became suddenly sober.

"I'm up, I'm up!", the brunette announced her awaken as a huge smirk creeped on the blonde's face.

"Welcome to the apocalypse. Thanks for joining us.", the Aussie mocked the airport speaker voice. "Let's grab somethin' to eat and then kick some decayed asses!", she proposed excitedly.

"Hooray!", Alicia exclaimed sarcastically, shoving her hands in the air.

"Watch your excitement not to give out.", the blonde answered on the same side of the coin, getting up from the bed and handing the Californian girl her breakfast which was on a large metal cantine along with a glass full of water. "Eat. We don't know when we'll ever get the opportunity.", the Australian demanded and Alicia obeyed, but not before asking: "How about? Have you eaten?"

"Oh, no worries 'bout me, Leeshy. If I were you, I'd be more concerned 'bout my condition, not a stranger's.", Elyza said, "Not that I don't appreciate the care", she muttered quickly, seeing the other's raised eyebrows, which resembled a 'no shit' kind of expression.

"Be ready in ten!", the Aussie told her eventually as she sprinted out the room in attempt to gather a few more stuff.

Alicia, on the other hand, was eating patiently her crackers and taking short sips of her ice cold water.

Elyza's request somehow reminded her of her butterfly knife. She was more than sure she had kept it really tight in her fist so the most logical explanation was that the blonde got it.

She was _so_ going to retrieve her butterfly knife from the girl. No matter what.

_'I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. I've done that all my life - I'll survive.'_ , the girl thought, then added aloud, quoting Elyza's words, "Let's kick some decayed asses."


	4. Running

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Running happens a lot in the apocalypse.

> **8:23 a.m. <**

"Ya go right, I go left! Scream if ya need help!", the blonde yelled in Alicia's direction as she smashed a walker's skull with the end of her handgun, getting ready to use one of the bats she took with them. 

The other didn't even have time to answer, when another infected showed up behind her. She pulled a firm grip on the other bat, her knuckles getting white from the pressure. Swaying it in the chilly morning air and stopping it full force right in the zombie's head. One after one came to get the same treatment.

Elyza was dealing amazingly well with them, the grace in her moves betraying her way of coping with the apocalypse since it begun. Time to time, she would have used her pistol to shoot at an infected's head only if it would have been too close. While fighting, she would've tried to resist the odd urge to check on the brunette. She felt responsible for putting her in such a danger and she didn't want to bear the loss of someone else, especially when she just found a soul that  _wanted_  to follow her around. And, of course, she wouldn't let an innocent, also smartass girl get wasted up on this screwed up world. 

Elyza's mind started to swim as her eyes moved frantically around the full courtyard of zombies, distant screams ringing in her ears. 

_'I leave her on her own and look what happens...'_

She rushed to the brunette, letting out a fierce war cry so she would make the infected head towards herself. Her own bat was hitting their heads mercilessly and her weapon was shooting in their way. Running for her life and, mostly, for Alicia's, Elzya led the horde away from the mansion, almost at the edge of the woods. 

And then she sprinted carefully throughout the trees' barks, paying attention to every step she took. Her pacing got wider when she heard that she was fallowed by the undeads and her inside voice screamed to her to get back. So that was what she did. Moving swiftly from the walkers' way, but not before dragging one of them with her, she got in a safer spot of the forest. With Alicia's butterfly knife she opened its stomach and traced with her fingers long trails of rooted blood on her face same as a warpaint, then she sank her T-shirt in it and took off her jacket putting it in the red moisture. 

Yes. She felt the bile rising in her throat. That sick it made her. But that was the only way of getting back. So she didn't hesitate in taking it. 

The Aussie rose on her feet, footballs on fire, as she ran with all her being out of the woods, entirely covered in walker blood. 

Alicia, on the other hand, thought that karma wanted to kill her for all the bad things she has ever wished to do. 

She watched hopelessly as the other girl was distancing herself from her original place from where she managed to save her.   
Losing the blonde would have meant losing her single available ticket to freedom and safety. And life.  _Especially_  now. 

She fought from within her deep soul, but felt like her body would give up sooner than preferred. They were circling her like vultures their game. No way out from Hell. 

_Apparently_. 

Elyza didn't stop surprising her. Showing up all soaked in blood, she made her path through the horde towards her. 

A loud gasp escaped her lips when the other put some fresh zombie's blood on her. 

"C'mon", it was barely a whisper, but enough to make her legs move instantly. 

Swimming through the sea of walkers, Alicia couldn't stand imagining what would've happened if Elyza wasn't so confident and loyal and she panicked, leaving her behind as meal for the infected. 

God, how she owed this not-so-common blonde. 

The Aussie, in her turn, thought she made themselves even. Service for service. She didn't owe the brunette anymore. In fact, she had the idea of staying with her until the girl would fall asleep and then gather all her stuff and leave without resentments.   
The not-so-funny part was that Elyza couldn't -  _just couldn't_  - bring herself do that. She didn't just save her life to let her die. 

Crossing the horde was not as hard as Alicia thought. Closing her eyes and letting herself be carried by her feet with the help of Elyza's guidance was a lot easier than fixing her eyes on every pale face that came up in front of her and burning their memory in her brain. 

When they reached the door, Alicia could feel her heart beating once again and her breathing coming back. Practically shoving themselves through it, the girls let each other sigh in relief for a second and then barricaded the entrance. 

Elyza took a large backpack and handed it to the Californian, telling her, "Come with me."

The brunette didn't see herself having another choice but to follow the blonde who led her to a Harley Davidson. The Aussie got on it in a swift move. 

"Hop on it and put the pack on your back.", the girl instructed quietly. 

Without any word, Alicia obeyed and got on the motorcycle, pulling her arms around Elyza's waist. 

"Good.", she heard the Australian say as she started the engine, "Let's get this show on the road."

* * *

 > **8:47 a.m. <**

Alicia's hair was blown in every direction possible by the wind, strands of it getting in her vision, hands held on Elyza's waist as if her life depended on it. 

And that may be the painful truth. If it wasn't for her, she'd be long dead by now. 

The Aussie parked her motorcycle in front of a gift shop. She pulled herself off of it and gestured for the brunette to do the same.

From inside of her jacket's pocket she revealed Alicia's butterfly knife, all soaked in walker's blood. She used her jeans for cleaning its llama so she could give it back to the other girl. 

"Guess that's yours.", she muttered and turned her attention to a katana which was reigning on the wall, right above the fireplace.

Using a chair, she extended herself to get it and then jumped off with a small ' _thud_ '. 

The shining of the blade was reflecting mischievously in the blue of Elyza's pools. 

"You're gonna use it?", the Californian found herself asking. 

"Probably not.", the blonde answered without looking at her, still contemplating at the sword in her hands, "Will give it a try, though I prefer the gun better."

Elyza's gaze rose carefully from it, searching for green eyes. 

"Got some bad news and good news.", she announced. 

"What are the bad ones?", the brunette questioned curiously. 

"Dunno if we can stick to the plan. Saw how twisted up is to get out of fuckin' house, let alone travelin' that far.", she vindicated. 

"And the good news?", the girl asked, not much hope in her tone. 

"This place's safe enough for the night.", she answered, "Take whatevs you want, I'll search the area."

Alicia nodded in response, heading towards a full stand of _'I ♡ L.A.'_  kind of T-shirts. She took some, stuffing them in a bag. Her attention was taken by a plaid shirt from the across the shop. 

The echoes of gunshots deviated her way, and made her grab quickly th bat Elyza used earlier with the infected at the mansion, heading full speed towards the sound. 

A gang captured the Aussie girl who barely kept herself on her feet, yet still struggling to fight them. 

"Let's feed her to the creepers!", a guy from the group suggested.

"Yeah!", another one exclaimed his approval. 

Panic flooded in Alicia's veins, but turned in a matter of seconds in boiling anger when she eyed the other girl's new wound - a gun hole in her left leg. 

She fished in the backpack one of the smoke grenades Elyza gave her. She didn't know how in this world she had managed to put her hands on them, though she was eternally thankful for having them in such moments. 

In a swift move, the brunette threw one on the concrete floor and disappeared behind the nearest wall, preparing for the explosion. 

Smoke rised from the hand grenade and soon a small _'boom'_ was heard. 

Alicia could make out Elyza's silhouette coming out of the room she was captured. 

"We gotta... get outta here...", the blonde rasped between coughs.

The Californian girl pulled her arm around the blonde helping her to sustain herself and leading her to the exit door, managing to get unseen to the motorcycle. 

' _The peace before the storm',_  Alicia thought sadly as she got on it.  _'Too beautiful to last.'_

For a second, they had shelter and supplies, the next one they were running like usual. 

Will they be able to settle somewhere safe? 

That's the question that made both girls itch for an answer.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wounds are treated. I mean, like, literally treated - tweezers and all that jazz.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter... flashbacks are incoming in the next one... I have no medical knowledge... I'm sorry for any kind of mistakes... and that's all I had to say.

> **9:36 a.m. <**

"I... can't... anymore.", Elyza breathed out shakily as she was struggling to keep riding the motorcycle.

The pain in her leg had become unbearable and she felt like loosing conscious for a second. It took all energy in her bones to pull the vehicle off the road.

"Hey, don't leave me now! I don't know what to do!", the brunette shouted nervously.

"The bullet... isn't out. Give me the damn rucksack...", the blonde required bitterly.

Alicia handed it to the other girl and she started fishing after the aid kit.

The blonde picked up a tweezers, a clean cloth and a small bottle of liquor. Pouring some of it on the wound and cleaning her hands with the same liquid, and then soaking up the handkerchief in it, the Australian young woman prepared the tweezers. She took her belt and wrapped it around the leg to stop the hemorrhage. After that, she approached the injure carefully.

The brunette was watching her every move intensely. It was the first time she assisted to a medical surgery. Well, kind of.

The other payed as much attention to the wound. She had to get the bullet. And it will certainly hurt. _And_ she didn't have any sort of anesthetic. She took a long sip of the drink and continued her bullet search. Making this while drunk was not something she fancied. That was her only chance, though. When she finally got it, she just put the tweezers around it and pulled it out slowly. Elyza had to hold her breath so she wouldn't cry in pain and do more damage. With the bullet out, she finally could stitch the wound and wrap tightly a bandage.

"So... this is... how... you... get it... done.", the blonde said turning towards Alicia who was more than relieved that she didn't pass out during her 'surgery'.

This being said, she blacked out, not stopping the tiredness that attacked her.

The Californian jumped from where she was sitting and moved swiftly in Elyza's direction, then shook her a little by the shoulders.

"C'mon, 'Lyza! Wake up!"

"Five more minutes, mom...", the blonde mumbled sleepily.

Relief washed upon the other at the hearing of those words, even letting a little laugh at the girl's grumpiness, but more important matters had to be attended. Like the horde of infected that was rising slowly on the hill, heading to their spot.

"We must move, Elyza. The horde will reach us if we stay more."

"I swear to God, those bloody fuckwits can't take a break? I sure need one.", the Aussie muttered, getting up, "Hope ya know I can't drive, right?", she asked.

"Yeah, I know.", the brunette answered, "That's why we gotta leave. _Now_."

"Fine. But we better come back for the bike 'cause I don-", Elyza started to sort of accept, but her trailing was stopped by Alicia who put the rucksack on her back and placed one of the blonde's arms around her neck to provide her some equilibrium.

"Where to, Commander?", the blue eyed girl questioned.

"I hoped you'd know the answer to that.", the other replied, taking rushed steps forward.

"Well... I might know a place.", the girl told her.

"Oh, really?", Alicia said, already panting a little, "Shoot."

"An old bunker's near - has supplies, 's kinda safe... thing is the guys inside it are sorta undead. And they're 'bout fourteen or somethin'."

"How do you know?", the Californian girl asked, though she shrugged off the subject almost instantly, "Nevermind. How do we get there?"

"Turn left, take the second right, go down the road and go right.", Elyza explained in a breath.

Alicia looked at her dumbfounded.

"No worries - just follow my lead."

The other girl nodded in approval and listened to the blonde's indications.


End file.
